ISTR Biosafety Practitioner group course

It would be highly beneficial for a number of our Building Officers, Deputy Building Officers, and Departmental Safety Advisers to attend the ISTR Biosafety Practitioner course as part of their role development and ongoing professional growth. For Building Officers in particular, completion of this course is a mandatory requirement.

The course provides essential knowledge for anyone who manages, advises on, or works directly with biological hazards. It ensures that individuals are both competent and confident in fulfilling their responsibilities, supports compliance with relevant standards and regulations, and strengthens personal capability as well as the institution’s overall approach to risk management and safety.

Historically, individual staff members have attended ad hoc courses delivered by UKHSA Porton down, at a cost of £2,500 + VAT per person. While UKHSA cannot offer closed in house courses, webster biosafety can deliver an equivalent closed course onsite at Weybridge for £10,000 + VAT for up to 10 participants. This equates to approximately 1k per person and removes the need for travel and subsistence expenses for APHA staff, making it a significantly more cost effective option. We’ve not had such high demand for course before – but is due to new starters/or staff in new H&S roles. It will be beneficial to arrange short contract for 2 courses over next couple of years.